2026 Winter Showcase Series: Oysters in Mobile Bay: The Life, the Loss, and the Return

As part of the 2026 Winter Showcase Series presented by Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism, please join us for this presentation from Dr. Kayla Boyd and Rachel Ball from Mobile Baykeeper.

Naked, fried, and Rockefeller. Oh my! 

Dr. Kayla Boyd received her PhD from Auburn University, where she studied how the environment impacted energetic use and behaviors in farm-grown oysters. Kayla now plans and implements oyster restoration projects across coastal Alabama through partnerships with the wild and farmed oyster industry, state agencies, academia, and non-profits. 

Rachel Ball is a Fairhope, AL native and has always had a love for the coastal environment. Rachel is the Oyster Keeper project coordinator which puts oyster restoration in the hands of the community. Together, they make up the Oyster Team at Mobile Baykeeper, an environmental non-profit that seeks to defend the waters of Coastal Alabama. 
 
The oyster is not only a delicious local cuisine, but also a cultural touchstone for Coastal Alabama. Join us to explore the oyster from their historic heyday, their dramatic decline, their resurgence through aquaculture, and the projects that we are embarking on to bring the wild oyster back to their former glory in Mobile Bay.